Academics

Courses: Modern Japanese Literature and Film (EASTH299B01)

From the immediate Post-war period to the present day Japanese writers and filmmakers have used literature and cinema to investigate issues of truth, beauty, identity, nationhood, and even humor in an attempt to answer fundamental questions regarding the meaning of life and death. This course will explore important works within modern and contemporary Japanese literature as well as their filmic adaptations, from 1945 to the present. Topics will include literary and cinematic representation of Japanâs war experience and post-war reconstruction, negotiation with traditional Japanese aesthetics, confrontation with the state, and changing ideas of gender and sexuality. In addition to these topics, we will consider how Japanese filmmakers use the visual structures of cinema to influence, impress, and persuade the viewer of their message. We will explore these and other questions by analyzing texts of various genres, including film and film scripts, novels, paintings, short stories, manga, and academic essays. The course is taught in English. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or above.